Completely analog, but each and every knob, switch and doohickey is ganged to a digital control (I don't know how, I just dream) that allows for complete recall and resetting.
For example the gain pot would be the typical pot, but on the same pole a digital control is ganged that records the physical position (and or the resistance of the circuit) for the ability to capture, and reset if necessary.

It's time console manufacturers started integrating better power filtration devices (and/or UPS'es) in their console power supplies. That way I can stop lugging two around for one console. The assumption here is that the power regulation would make for a more reliable PSU.

Completely analog, but each and every knob, switch and doohickey is ganged to a digital control (I don't know how, I just dream) that allows for complete recall and resetting.
For example the gain pot would be the typical pot, but on the same pole a digital control is ganged that records the physical position (and or the resistance of the circuit) for the ability to capture, and reset if necessary.

It's time console manufacturers started integrating better power filtration devices (and/or UPS'es) in their console power supplies. That way I can stop lugging two around for one console. The assumption here is that the power regulation would make for a more reliable PSU.

NYC Drew

if you are looking for recall, there are consoles that do this already.. the Amek recall RN for example.. unless you maen automatic recall, where the pots have servos or something so that they reset by themselves.. that would be way cool...

Originally posted by EveAnna Manley If you don't like lugging around a 2 lb. microphone, how would you feel about lugging around a car battery?
yuktyy

hi that's easy...when you run a mic around 13-17 feet high,and if they should fall..they would fall pretty hard( who know whom you get to meet at a show!).aligning the um900's in diffrent stereo configurations is also hard because of the design.

my favourite portable mic pre is the oade brother m148,but these units are custom made and because of doug oade's health are not available at the moment.

1) How about an analog compressor that increases the gain when the signal falls below threshold rather than decreasing the gain above threshold as is typically done. To make it really crazy you could combine both modes of compression simulataneously - some bottoms up and some top-down with different attack, ratio release settings? (OK maybe im thinking too much but I bet this would be really fun to play with.)

There are times, it seems to me, that bringing the bottom up versus squashing the upper reaches of the dynamic range would be preferred. Clearly these two approaches will not give the same sound for a given amount of gain change. Seems easy to do conceptually.

Perhaps there is something out there that Im not aware of?

Also- why not add a simple EQ to the control circuit to effectively tweak the sidechain input without having to actually wire up a side chain to the compressor?

Hey Id be "willing" to beta test this for ya heh

2) Another thought. If wireless technology is as robust as claimed why not get rid of all the damned cables- to be replaced by the universal analog/digital/MIDI airbourne patch bay and signal distribution system.
How much is it worth to never have to crawl behind the cabinets to trace and re-patch some cable? How much do you have invested in cables??

Im sure there are many issues with interference, real time data integrity and cost - but you asked for a "wish list".
Obviously, this would have to be bullet proof to have any value.
Maybe in my next lifetime.

3) Web enabled pay per use model applied to high end gear. So, I can send my vocal track to a hosted service somewhere that takes my high quality audio, processes it on some outrageously expensive gear that I can choose and control and then sends me back the processed result ( perhaps with limits on usage for work- in -process files), lets me tweak till Im happy and then sends me a final processed file that is free of copy/useage limits. Approaching real time performance / feedback would be nice. heh

4) What ever happened to those personal, nuclear powered helicopters that the government was supposed to issue to each of us - according to the 1960's comic books?
A little off topic I know- but noone else seems to be working on this and you guys seem to be looking for something to do. :<)

I'll try and keep it based in reality. I'd love to have a really high quality shelving EQ along the lines of a GML, Massive Passive, or Sontec to use on my mix buss or for tracking. Maybe 6dB of boost only in 1dB steps with a handful of frequency choices. Clean, class A, discrete, no tubes if I can help it. The goal would be to keep the mix the same but add a little top or bottom before it goes out the door to mastering. Pultecs are cool but not really what I'm looking for. Oh, and if it can be done for $1500 or less I'd be really happy. I'd also use it for tracking, overheads, acoustic guitar and junk like that. Anytime something needs a little more top or bottom, wham!

I'd also dig a really simple high quality verb. Something that sounds like a 480 with the interface of a PCM 60. Give me a hall, plate, room, chamber and then control over the decay time and some kind of EQ shaping and maybe one or two other things. If I want predelay I'll patch in a delay before the input. Again, $1500 or so would be great.

I'd also like to see more new analog consoles that are modular, sound good and are affordable. Meaning, not $50K for a 24 input frame, about $20K for a 40 frame short loaded to 32? I'll skip the mic pres, I don't need 24 busses when 8 will do and all I want on the jukebox is panning, mutes and a fader.

Originally posted by Kendrix
3) Web enabled pay per use model applied to high end gear. So, I can send my vocal track to a hosted service somewhere that takes my high quality audio, processes it on some outrageously expensive gear that I can choose and control and then sends me back the processed result ( perhaps with limits on usage for work- in -process files), lets me tweak till Im happy and then sends me a final processed file that is free of copy/useage limits. Approaching real time performance / feedback would be nice.

Harmonycentral.com has a thing like that where you can use effects like a PCM 91 or whatever. They don't have any EQ or compression on there AFAIK. That would be a bit harder to pull off. You can always rent stuff or book time at a studio that has the gear you want to use. That's real time, lets you be in control and is pay per use.

Originally posted by Jay Kahrs I'd love to have a really high quality shelving EQ The goal would be to keep the mix the same but add a little top or bottom before it goes out the door to mastering.
I'd also dig a really simple high quality verb. Give me a hall, plate, room, chamber and then control over the decay time
I'd also like to see more new analog consoles that are modular, sound good and are affordable.

I'm really with Jay 100%.
In general I think so much new gear has too many features. It must jack the prices up. I suppose there is a marketing rationale behind it.
Part of the reason I tend to buy older gear is because it is usually good for one or two things.
1. I'd love an affordable but high quality EQ that could put a bit of fairy dust over my mixes.
2. I'd love a basic but very good reverb. The new Kurzweil thingy is exactly the opposite of what I want. I guess in short I might as well buy a real plate, but they sound like a hassle.
3. The new Api strips would probably provide the kind of thing Jay is after. I'm a bit wary of the micro size of everything though. Putting the mic/pre's, bussing/master strip and new mixer strip together just doesn't look as good or as practical as an Api 1604 console.
Same goes for the Manley mixer......bit too small and I'd like some eq, even 2 band.
Simple, cheaper gear that did a couple of things really well!

I'd also dig a really simple high quality verb. Something that sounds like a 480 with the interface of a PCM 60. Give me a hall, plate, room, chamber and then control over the decay time and some kind of EQ shaping and maybe one or two other things. If I want predelay I'll patch in a delay before the input. Again, $1500 or so would be great.

What most of us could use is a Mackie 1602 done 5 times as good for the same price. We need excellent mic pres, EQ and routing in a rackmountable unit under $1000. The Mackie EQ sucks balls. It can be done, just no one will attempt it. Some nice Burr Brown preamps and some decent EQ with sweepable mids and a Q control, variable low cut, and a mix buss with some fat headroom. Make it have 2 headphone outs with separate volume for each. 4 aux should work allright, but maybe go with 6 just in case. Massive headroom is important. EQ should have a hard bypass, and the preamps should each have a direct out, pre or post switchable. Impedance selection on each mic pre. Class A throughout. A high quality limiter on the output. Oh, And a s/pdif in/out with wordclock in (ok, make that optional, but with Lucid converters.)
Asking too much? Nah.
At least I didnt ask for modular. Which would be cool, by the way.

I would like to see a modular design front end application in which the card of choice could be inserted...Egnator/Rocktron has a very cool card system for guitar frontends...one card is a 59 Bassman, one a Vox AC30, and so forth...A 4 channel device with say one preamp a Neve, one a Focusrite, and so forth...the only restriction would be how many input cards a user could afford...

The pedal would be positioned under the vocalist's foot. He or she could then rock it forward as they sang louder or more intensely, and the pedal would send a signal to the box to drive the toobs harder while simultaneously increasing the gain reduction, to get a rockin' effect.

Conversely, the singer could rock the pedal backwards if they need to whisper or sing very softly, increasing the sensitivity of the unit. Of course guitarists and bassists could use this too. Like a direct box with a drive pedal.

Along the same line of NYC Drews train of thought... i'll have one of these with TOTAL RECALL, Snapshot automation, Moving faders that get gelled up with gunk .. oh and a reasonable price too:eek: ..lol

Perhaps Daking is the only MFG that is close to the ballpark sonically but i doubt there is much scope to add those sorts of facilities without tottally redesigning the entire console and raising the price to some astronomical level..

There are some EXCELLENT ideas here.... why we are not being paid for market research is beyond me!!!!!!

I love the idea of a reasonably priced high quality analog mix down mixing console. 24 line inputs (most people have 24 track recorders) , 4 busses and a real high quality, high voltage summing mix buss. Not moduluar to keep prices down, no mic pre's, just have slots where mic pre's can be added to each channel if you want to add on as you get the money. That way the designer can have multiple types of mic pre's (transformer or not) to add on each channel or use it with outboard pre's. Have a high quality eq, say somthing like a Speck on about 12 channels and the other 12 don't have a Q function to keep costs down. 4 auxes with stereo returns. No inline ****. A decent headphone amp, And one killer power supply. All this for under 6K street. I don't think you would be able to make them fast enough to fill the demand. Something that would blow away something like a Ghost sound wise.